On a Galapagos Islands cruise, we saw blue footed boobies, frigates, marine iguanas, penguins, and sea lions on uninhabited islands with diverse landscapes.
Galapagos is an archipelago of 19 volcanic islands 620 miles from Ecuador. Most islands are uninhabited and the only way to visit is with a guide. Galapagos has been on our ‘wanna go’ list for a while. In late 2023, a few weeks after Indy passed, we were ready to plan our first big trip in years. It didn’t take long to agree on the destination. The next question was how to visit the islands: stay on land and do day trips or go on a cruise. That decision took a bit longer. After much research and consideration, we booked a 10-night Galapagos / Quito package with Celebrity Cruises. We prefer independent travel but tried the package because it seemed efficient and easy. It was!
About the Cruise
The Flora, launched in 2019, was built specifically for the Galapagos Islands. I read about the ship while it was being built and thought it looked cool. As I looked at the renderings, I wondered what it would be like to sit on the deck and watch the sunset after exploring the islands.
There were several Galapagos itinerary options, and it was a little overwhelming to choose. We selected the inner loop, which included seven islands: Santiago, Rabida, Isabela, Santa Cruz, Bartolome, North Seymour, and San Cristobal.
A Galapagos cruise is not like the leisure cruises we have taken to the Caribbean and Mexico. It is a structured expedition-style holiday. There are two excursions each day (morning and afternoon), except the last day (full day only). Each excursion had two–three options, e.g., short walk and tender ride, long walk, etc. The ship stays offshore, so you go the islands in tenders and often get splashed (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot). There are no docks on the uninhabited islands. Some landings were dry and involved walking on uneven, slippery rocks to get to shore. Some landings were wet – you hop off the tender into the water close to shore. A naturalist led each group and shared interesting information about the island and wildlife. In the evenings before dinner, everyone gathered in the lounge to hear about the next day’s itinerary while sipping a cocktail and munching on a snack.
The Galapagos Islands have a unique, rugged beauty. Each island has a different landscape – there are black sand beaches, red soil trails, black lava fields, and more. The uninhabited islands are pristine – there are no buildings, power lines, nor signs of human impact.
Quito to Baltra (Day One)
We arrived in Quito around midnight two days before the cruise and relaxed at the hotel. On departure day, the passengers boarded a two hour-charter flight to Baltra Island, a former WWII US military base. As we approached Baltra, I spotted a ship close to shore and got excited when I realized it was the Flora. From the airport there was a short bus ride to a small dock. We put on life jackets and went on our first tender ride. Five minutes later, we arrived at the Flora and were greeted by smiling staff who offered a cool towel and glass of champagne.
After settling into our awesome suite, we explored the ship and checked out the view on the top deck. I was intrigued by the frigate birds gliding along with the ship – it was like they were hitchhiking in the wind. The shape of their silhouettes looked really cool against the blue sky. Then we found a good spot to watch our first sunset at sea.
Did you know? Frigate birds are called the pirates of the sea because they steal food from other birds. Females have a white chest and males have a red chest.
Santiago Island: Puerto Egas (Day Two AM)
The first excursion of the cruise was an easy water landing on a beautiful black sand beach in Santiago Island. We walked on even sandy trails in our water shoes and encountered a marine iguana making his way to the beach for a swim. I was surprisingly intrigued watching the brightly colored crabs dancing around. Their bright red color really popped against the black volcanic rocks.
Did you know? Due to the limited food sources in Galapagos, iguanas adapted to be able to swim so they could eat algae in the ocean. It was fun to spot marine iguanas taking a swim.
Rabida Island (Day Two PM)
In the tender on the way to Rabida Island, we saw the first blue footed booby and sea lion. The soil on Rabida is red from iron and the landscape is desert-like with cacti. As we walked, we saw small lizards, a finch, doves, and flamingos. After the walk, there was time to swim, snorkel, or hang at the beach. We hung on the beach and saw two large sea lions napping. There was some commotion in the water when a grumpy sea lion was not happy with a man who was snorkeling with the group. On way back to the ship, the woman sitting next to me in the tender spotted a rare Galapagos bare butt – which is only visible when a cruise ship passenger does not close the curtain in his cabin.
Did you know? Flamingos are a light pink color when they are young and their color changes to a dark, vibrant pink as they get older.
Santa Cruz Island: Dragon’s Hill (Day Three AM)
The landing on Dragon’s Hill in Santa Cruz was a bit precarious. It was low tide and the landing site, which has a wood railing, was not accessible. We did a short walk on some very uneven and slippery rocks to get to the path. The staff did an excellent job of helping everyone make it safely. We took a short walk on the beach, to a lagoon with two blue footed booby, then spent some time watching marine iguana, a heron, blackbirds, and lots of crabs on the beautiful shore. There were also pesky horse flies which liked biting our legs (the bites hurt but did not cause welts).
Note: The planned excursion on the original itinerary was Isabela Island: Elizabeth Bay.
Santa Cruz Island: Bowditch (Day Three PM)
The excursion to Bowditch in Santa Cruz was our least favorite. The group went on a short beach walk to a lagoon, then the rest of the time was free to swim, snorkel, or hang on the beach. Michael shore snorkeled while I walked to the end of the beach and watched a few marine iguanas. The beach was small and crowded with fellow travelers and there was not much marine life in the water.
Note: The planned excursion on the original itinerary was Isabela Island: Tagus Cove.
Santiago Island: Sullivan Bay (Day Four AM)
The excursion to Sullivan Bay in Santiago Island was one of our favorites. First, we went on a short tender ride along the coast and saw pelican and blue footed booby and a marine iguana swimming along the coast. Then we went ashore to an incredible lava landscape resulting from a late 19th century volcanic eruption. It was almost like being on a different planet. There were swirly black lava patterns on the ground, raised lava mounds, and cracked crevices.
Bartolome Island (Day Four PM)
Michael and I went on different excursions: he did deep-water snorkeling, and I went on a hike.
Deep-Water Snorkeling Near Bartolome Island
Deep-water snorkeling was a very different experience than shore snorkeling. It is necessary to be a good swimmer and have snorkeling experience due to the strong currents and rough water. In addition, swimming near the rocky shoreline can be dangerous. The group went on a 20-minute tender ride and then jumped in. The marine life was far more abundant than close to the shore. There were lots of colorful starfish, reef fish, puffer fish, angel fish, and white tip sharks. Blue footed boobies dove into the water all around us to snatch fish near the surface.
Bartolome Island Hike
The view from the top of Bartolome Island is one of the most photographed Galapagos scenes. This excursion was one of my favorites. As we disembarked the tender, we watched a group of blue footed booby diving in water for dinner. We took a long walk along a wood walkway past interesting volcanic peaks and up roughly 400 stairs to the top of the island. After enjoying the view, we walked back down and went on a short tender ride along the coast and saw a few penguins.
North Seymour Island (Day Five PM)
We skipped the morning excursion to Las Bachas beach on Santa Cruz Island because we weren’t crazy about the previous beach excursion. It was nice to sleep in and have a late breakfast in the room.
Michael went on another deep-water snorkel in the early afternoon where he saw lots of reef fish, marine iguanas, and penguins.
While researching the various islands, several people said that North Seymour was the best for wildlife viewing – we concur. North Seymour Island was our favorite excursion.
We signed up for the short walk because it seemed like the long walk would have lots of rocky surfaces (that turned out to be untrue). But it was a lucky decision because we were the only people on the short walk and had a private excursion. Our naturalist, Elmer, was also a photography enthusiast and gave Michael lots of tips to get some great shots with his new camera lens.
After a rocky landing, we took a leisurely stroll on an even path and saw a lot of wildlife: a nazca booby, blue footed boobies – moms and babies, frigates flying overhead, and sea lions frolicking in the water and lounging on the beach. The animals are indifferent to humans, for the most part. We stood close to a blue footed booby mom and baby and observe. On the other hand, some sea lions were interested in checking out the people. One went right up to a woman who was crouched down taking photos, said hello, and then waddled back to his friends. There were some male frigate birds with puffed up red chest in the distance, but we couldn’t get close enough for a good look.
We were the last people to leave the island that evening.
At night, we sat on the top deck and looked at the stars. Then Michael took some photos of the incredible full moon.
San Cristobal Island: Puerto Baquerizo (Day Six PM)
San Cristobol is one of the four inhabited Galapagos Islands. We skipped the morning excursion (fitness walk or tender ride) and went to town in the afternoon for free time. Puerto Baquerizo is a small quiet town. We took a short walk, bought some souvenirs, saw local street art, and spotted a few marine iguanas. Before heading back to the ship, we watched a group of sea lions playing on the beach.
Santa Cruz Island (Day Seven – final day)
Santa Cruz is one of the main tourist areas with hotels, the Darwin Center, and tortoise sanctuaries. There was only one excursion option – a busy full day tour with a lot of time on a bus. We were interested in seeing the tortoises but did not want to spend our last day rushing around with a large group. So, we skipped the excursion and had a leisurely day on the ship. It would have been swell if there was a half-day option to visit the giant tortoises.
As everyone gathered in the lounge for the final briefing, we were greeted with a glass of champagne. We heard about the disembarkation process and thanked the crew for their wonderful efforts. Then there was a surprise – a presentation with incredible photos the naturalists took during our cruise. And the best part – each guest received a flash drive with the photos. Check out a few of the photos below. Aren’t they great?
Disembarkation & Flight to Quito
Everyone had to leave their rooms at 7:30 AM so the staff could prepare for the next sailing. We had a leisurely breakfast in the restaurant and hung out in the lounge until the 10:00 AM disembarkation. Then we put on life jackets for the final time and boarded the tender. On the way, we watched blue footed boobies diving for breakfast. A lounging sea lion greeted us on the dock in Baltra. I didn’t have my camera handy, so after climbing the ramp and removing the life jacket, I grabbed it and looked over the balcony to see if our friend was still there. He was, and he even looked up and stretched – almost as if to wave goodbye.
The noon flight to Quito was delayed five hours – yes five – which was a super bummer! Luckily, Celebrity passengers had access to a lounge with couches and snacks. We passed some of the time by talking with Diane and Vic who shared photos of their awesome trip to Egypt and Jordan (which are on my ‘wanna go’ list). It was a long day of waiting around – we didn’t arrive at the Quito hotel until 9:00 PM.
Time to Go Home
The next day, we returned home with happy memories of the interesting things we saw and learned in the Galapagos Islands. I also found inspiration for future polymer clay jewelry. Would we return? Yes!
Where We Stayed
Quito – JW Marriott
The JW Marriott was a nice place to relax before and after the cruise. The only drawback was that it was 45 minutes from the airport.
Celebrity Flora
We loved our room on the Flora! It was spacious, comfortable, and had a lot of storage. Celebrity was so smart to put a filtered water faucet in each room and provide metal water bottles.
So, what do you think? Do you want to visit the Galapagos Islands?
Galapagos Islands Travel Tips
If you are planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands, here are a few travel tips based on our experiences.
Things to keep in mind when packing
- Most islands are uninhabited and don’t have much shade.
- You are likely to get splashed in the tender on the way to and from the ship.
- The weather was mild (we went in August). It was warm during the day, but not too hot. It was a little chilly at night; a lightweight sweatshirt was sufficient. On some islands it was windy.
Must bring items
- Sun protection: sunscreen, hat, etc.
- Water shoes (closed)
- Walking shoes
- Comfortable light weight clothes for excursions
- If you plan to take photos or video in the tender, have a waterproof camera or phone case
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